( Human Rights Watch – An emergency court sentenced Alaa Abd al Fattah to five years in prison, and Mohamed al-Baqer and Mohamed “Oxygen” Ibrahim to four years each on charges of “spreading false news.” “The egregious miscarriage of justice handed down by this exceptional court to punish peaceful expression reveals how Egypt’s justice system […]
Abusive and Discriminatory Policing by Israel of Palestinian-Israelis in Lod During May Hostilities
Human Rights Watch – (Jerusalem) – Israeli law enforcement agencies used excessive force to disperse peaceful protests by Palestinians in Lod (al-Lydd) during civil unrest in the city in May 2021, Human Rights Watch said today. At times the police appeared to act half-heartedly and unevenly to violence against Palestinian citizens of Israel committed by […]
Immigrant Rights: US Senate Should Reinstate Pathway to Citizenship in Build Back Better Act
By Hina Naveed | Aryeh Neier Fellow | – ( Human Rights Watch) – All people, including immigrants like me, have a basic need for some semblance of stability. But addressing this need hangs in the balance as the Senate contemplates the Build Back Better Act. When the US House of Representatives passed the nearly […]
Urgent UN Action needed on Yemen Atrocities to end “Pandemic of Impunity”
Human rights Watch – (New York) – The United Nations General Assembly should act swiftly to establish an investigative mechanism to gather and preserve evidence of serious human rights abuses and violations of the laws of war in Yemen, a coalition of more than 60 organizations said. Failure to act would not only be a […]
Justin Bieber and Others Should Speak Out on Human Rights at Saudi Arabia’s Grand Prix
Jason Derulo, A$AP Rocky Also Among Celebrities Slated to Perform
Letter to President Biden on Failures of Administration’s Human Rights Policy Toward the Middle East
By Kenneth Roth | Executive Director | – President Joseph R. Biden 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 RE: US Policy Toward the Middle East Dear President Biden, When you were elected last year, we urged your incoming administration to strive to be a leader in human rights and made a series of recommendations […]
As Saudis, Emirates enjoy Impunity, the UN needs to Create a New Yemen War Crimes Investigation
By Louis Charbonneau | United Nations Director | – ( Human Rights Watch) – Last month, the Netherlands’ ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva said the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) had “failed the people of Yemen” by rejecting the renewal of an investigation into alleged human rights abuses and war crimes there. […]
Human Rights? Saudi Arabia put a Child Dissident on Death Row for 10 Years, but has Finally Released him
By Bill Van Esveld | Associate Director, MENA, Children’s Rights Division | – Nearly ten years after Ali al-Nimr was arrested by Saudi authorities in February 2012, he was finally released from prison this week. His mother tweeted a video showing their emotional reunion. But amid the relief and celebration, al-Nimr’s ordeal highlights the cruelty […]
Afghanistan: Taliban Forcibly Evict Minority Shia — Hazaras Targets of Collective Punishment
Human Rights Watch – (New York) – Taliban officials in several provinces across Afghanistan have forcibly displaced residents partly to distribute land to their own supporters, Human Rights Watch said today. Many of these evictions have targeted Hazara Shia communities, as well as people associated with the former government, as a form of collective punishment. […]